It's a gay-la affair! The Twin Cities shines as one of the largest Pride festivals in the country, and we think that's definitely something to be proud of! This weekend is all about love, respect, and partying like rockstars, so get with the glitz and don't be afraid to rock those sequins!
xo-l'étoile
THURSDAY, JUNE 26
Echo Through the Waves
@ 50 Entertainment
300 1st Ave N, Suite 110
Minneapolis
4pm-7pm / free
For three hours, the media and music company 50 Entertainment will transform its office space into an art gallery featuring painting, photography and jewelry from such artists as DC Ice, Nate Maydole, Lonnie Loveness, and Robyne Robinson! All the art is local, and with prices capped at $500, the temptation is on to bring a piece home.
CLICK FOR THIS AND OTHER ART EVENTS AT MPLSART.COM
THURSDAY JUNE 26TH
Patio Nights Featuring STNNNG and His Mischief
@ The MMAA
50 W. Kellogg Blvd.
Downtown St. Paul
7pm / $7
In it's 5th year, Patio Nights invites some of the most talented and well-known local musicians to rock the MMAA's gorgeous rooftop courtyard. Add in yummy food, and of course, beer from Great Waters Brewing Company and you've got yourself the perfect date night. Tonight's musical phantasm will include popular local rockers STNNNG and His Mischief, so you've really got no excuse, do you?
CLICK THE IMAGE FOR THE MMAA SITE
THURSDAY JUNE 26TH
Oddio's Audios
@ Soundbar
414 3rd Avenue N
Downtown
8pm / 21+ / FREE
Come July, Minneapolis will be one scene-starter short. Well-known local DJ Andrew "Oddio" Luckham is moving to Spain to get married and start an exciting new life. Please join every DJ worth their salt in the Twin Cities in giving Oddio the proper send off with dance-worthy selections from Reggie McKeever v. HiFi Kenny, Jobot v. Bryan B, and Brian Thomas v. DVS1 playing disco and deep house all night long.
BONUS: Got the Techno bug? BLACK in the VIP room each Saturday boasts a rotating cast of world class House, Drum & Bass and Techno DJs.
CLICK THE IMAGE FOR THE SOUNDBAR SITE
FRIDAY ART PICK: SERGEI PROKUDIN-GORSKII
Lucky Minneapolis! The work of early 20th century photographer and chemist Sergei Prokudin-Gorskii glows (literally) from the walls of the Russian Art Museum. One of the first photographers to use color photography, Prokudin-Gorskii produced glass plate negatives of the Russian Empire funded by the Tsar. One hundred years later we’re seeing, for the first time, his photos presented as illuminated light boxes in a dark gallery. This is a huge deal, so if you’ve never been to the TMORA, you’ve got until September to drool over this work.
CLICK THE IMAGE FOR THE MUSEUM OF RUSSIAN ART SITE
FRIDAY JUNE 27TH
Yuri's Big Garage Sale
@ Yuri's House
650 Pierce Street NE
(in the Garage/Alley)
Northeast Mpls
9-4pm
One of our favorites, artist and curator Yuri Arajs, is picking up and leaving us soon for the land of maple syrup and Celine Dion, and lucky for you he's unloading a bevy of treasures before he goes! Stop in and snap up deals on things like darkroom equipment, paint by number paintings, antique furniture, tons of cds, frames, easels, and lots and lots of art books, art supplies, and more. This is likely the coolest garage sale of the summer, so get there early to score the most collectible Yuri memorabilia!
CLICK THE IMAGE FOR YURI'S WEBSITE
FRIDAY JUNE 27TH
So Electric
@ Barfly
711 Hennepin Ave
Downtown Minneapolis
10pm-2am / 18+ / $3 w/ RSVP, $5 without
Summer is heating up and so is the dance floor at Barfly because Moongoons Mania is taking over the city! Dance the night away with another edition of So Electric, featuring music in the main room by DJ Bach, The Moongoons, E-six, and Roan. Have your first taste of Toothjuice, a special drink created by Barfly for So Electric (Insider info: Toothjuice is Moongoon Josh Clancy's artistic alter-ego).
RSVP at the link below for discounted admission!
CLICK THE IMAGE FOR THE SO ELECTRIC SITE
FRIDAY JUNE 27TH
4th Annual Uptown Pride Block Party
@ Bryant Lake Bowl
810 West Lake Street
Uptown
6pm / 18+ / FREE
BLB’s Uptown Pride Block Party has become a growing community tradition in recent years and is now THE spot to kick off Pride Weekend in style. The grill will be going and the beer will be flowing, with performances by Dykes Do Drag, Rope Trick, Black Blondie, Tina Schlieske & Band and Venus DeMars & All the Pretty Horses. Festivities are once again emceed by Foxy Tann.
CLICK THE IMAGE FOR THE BLB SITE
FRIDAY JUNE 27TH
Dosh with P.O.S. and Kill the Vultures
@ First Avenue
701 First Avenue N
Downtown
8pm / 18+ / $10 advance, $12 door
Minneapolis' own intriguing and mostly-instrumental outfit, DOSH will be wrapping up their nation-wide tour for a hometown CD Release Friday night at First Ave. Martin Dosh is an expert soundscapist, whose latest album Wolves and Wishes blends elements of pop, electronica and post-rock. Accompanied by Mike Lewis (Bad Plus, Fog, Alpha Consumer) the Dosh live experience creates a musical utopia using keyboards, effects pedals, samplers, a mixing board, and even a drum set. The musical world of Dosh is uncharted, and if that's where the challenge lies, it's also where the reward comes from. Local rap hero P.O.S. opens, with Kill the Vultures.
CLICK THE IMAGE FOR THE DOSH MYSPACE
FRIDAY JUNE 27TH-SUNDAY JUNE 29TH
The Jackie Factory NYC Presents:
LOW LIFE MINNEAPOLIS
@ Nick & Eddie
1612 Harmon Place
Loring Park
7pm Friday, 2pm Sat-Sun / Free
Nick and Eddie pulls their own well-connected strings to put on THE coolest party of Pride Weekend. With a stage in the Loring Alley (which we think looks like something straight out of Paris), Nick and Eddie will host legendary NYC Jackie Factory luminaries DJ Johnny Dynell, Chi Chi Valenti and Chi Chi Larue, plus tons of local lovelies such as All The Pretty Horses, Faggot, Le Cirque Rouge Cabaret and Burlesque’s Jean Bardot and our favorite MC Foxy Tann.
CLICK THE IMAGE FOR THE NICK AND EDDIE SITE
FRIDAY JUNE 27TH-SUNDAY JUNE 29TH
2008 Twin Cities Pride
@ Various Locations
Minneapolis
Check Website for more info
Each June in Minneapolis, folks of every sexual orientation and gender identity gather in sunny Loring Park in what has become the third-largest gay pride celebration in the country. Last year's festival drew nearly half a million people for two days of music and entertainment – that alone is reason to celebrate!
The massive festival in Loring Park is the crown jewel of the Twin Cities Pride. Celebrating the spirit and vitality of the GLBT Community, the festival truly has something to offer everyone. Featuring three stages of live entertainment, three food courts, beer gardens, art vendors, a children & family area, canoe rides in Loring Lake, a mass commitment ceremony, and the GLBT History Pavilion, and so much more. You can spend two full days at the festival and still not see everything! The festival is free for everyone to attend and will be open on Saturday from 10am to 10pm and on Sunday from noon to 6pm.
CLICK THE IMAGE FOR THE PRIDE SITE
COOL LINK: WE MAKE MONEY NOT ART
The bloggers at We Make Money Not Art scour the art world to bring back interviews, reviews, and pictures from that big wide world out there. They visit art galleries, listen to conferences, and have searchable categories like the 90’s, deep sea creatures and robots. Throw in fun colors and a “Somehow Connected” sidebar, and you’re up on the art scene like never before.
CLICK THE IMAGE FOR THE WE MAKE MONEY NOT ART SITE
SATURDAY JUNE 28TH
Order, Happiness, and other Fictional Perceptions
@ Fox Tax Gallery
503 1st Ave NE
Minneapolis
6pm-11pm / Free
Guest curator Emma Berg of mplsart.com serves up a quartet of reality-busting artists with connections to MN. Photography, collage, drawings and film make up the roster of investigators of details, assumptions and perceptions. l’étoile’s favorite NYC cohort Amy Pierce screens her short film, Maypole, for the first time in Minnesota. Runs through July 26th.
CLICK THE IMAGE FOR THE MPLSART SITE
SATURDAY JUNE 28TH
Umber Birthday Party!
@ Umber Studios
3109 East 42nd Street
South Minneapolis
8pm / Free
Umber Studios is one year old! The founders of Umber Studios commemorate their anniversary by showing work they’ve created in the space. In this past year, Umber has had 15 art shows with over 60 artists, and acted as a dance, theater and yoga studio. Let the founders of Umber Studios know you appreciate them at this fun-fun-fun party/art show! Runs through July 26th.
CLICK FOR THIS ART EVENT AND MORE AT MPLSART.COM
SATURDAY JUNE 28TH
Attitude City
@ Clubhouse Jager
923 Washington Ave N
North Loop
10pm / 21+ / Free
Two of the cutest boys we know, Karl Frankowski and Jeff Dubois, make a cameo at Clubhouse Jager tonight. Be prepared to have your socks rocked off (and maybe your pants) because these two know how to sex you up right with their sultry disco jams. If you're in the mood for a sweaty dance session with possible groping potential then get thee to Jager tonight!
CLICK THE IMAGE FOR THE ATTITUDE CITY SITE
SUNDAY MUSIC PICK: THE DODOS
Psych-folk-pop duo The Dodos have been one of the most consistently buzzed bands this year, with their debut album Visitor arguably one of the years best.Their varied influences include Animal Collective and Magnetic Fields, but their undeniably unique style pushes their instruments to the extreme, shaping a superb blend of intricate drum patterns, remarkable finger picking, breakneck strumming, and warm vocal chops – their infectious, experimental pop is so joyous and fresh that it's difficult not to get swept along in its wake. This is a band on the brink of very big things, so be sure to catch the Dodos next month for an absolutely stunning live performance in an intimate setting at the Triple Rock Social Club.
CLICK THE IMAGE FOR THE DODO'S MYSPACE
SUNDAY JUNE 29TH
Pride Parade
@ Hennepin Ave & 3rd St.
Ends at Loring Park
Downtown Minneapolis
Parade at 11am / Free
Pre-parade show at 9am / 9th and Hennepin / Free
THE best parade of the year, no doubt about it! Monica West and Robyne Robinson (she’s everywhere!) will MC the parade from the grandstand, where all the action to impress the judges happens. If you’re really hardcore, arrive at 9am for the pre-parade show, featuring music and an unveiling. Last year’s parade drew 135,000 people, so get there early to get a good view.
CLICK THE IMAGE FOR THE TC PRIDE SITE
SUNDAY JUNE 29TH
Best Friends Forever and The Velveteens
@ Eclipse Records
1922 University Ave W.
St. Paul
6pm / All Ages / $4
A rare meeting of two amazing local trios. In both bands, two lovely ladies sing about crushes, boys and romance, with a boy in the background playing bass or drums or xylophone. Both are extremely danceable and both have distinctive sounds: BFF supplies the dancey pop, The Velveteens bring back doo wop Americana. Dancing is sure to ensue, so put on your bobby socks and/or legwarmers. With Ghost Mice (IN) and Heathers (Ireland).
CLICK THE IMAGE FOR THE ECLIPSE RECORDS MYSPACE
MIXTAPE MONDAY: MINNEAPOLIS LOVER
Despite the fact he lives in Roseville, You Work For Them's Mike Cina can still technically claim Minneapolis lover status via his studio in Northeast, and who are we to argue? We'll let Cina dance-rock our world anytime - in Roseville OR Minneapolis. Make sure to download this little gem and tuck it away for the next time you have an uncontrollable urge to get down.
CLICK THE IMAGE TO DOWNLOAD THE FREE MIX
TUESDAY JULY 1ST
Silver + Gold
@ Clubhouse Jager
923 Washington Ave.
North Loop
Every Tuesday / 21+ / 10pm / Free
Join DJ Jonathan Ackerman and l’étoile magazine for an evening of sly winks and sideways glances every Tuesday at Clubhouse Jager. Create some mystery, sip 2-4-1 cocktails with pretty people, and dance the night away to electro, pop, and so much more.
BONUS: Flirt up a storm then visit letoilemagazine.com on Wednesdays for "missed connections" from the night before!
Sponsored by l'étoile magazine & Alphasuede
CLICK THE IMAGE FOR L'ETOILE TEXT CONNECTIONS
What's What Editor: Kate Iverson
Contributing Writers, Robyn Lewis, Lacey Prpic Hedtke
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